


Can't Escape This Now (Unless You Show Me How)

by Bandgeek18



Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers Ninja Steel
Genre: 5+1 Things, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slavery, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:47:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26573968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bandgeek18/pseuds/Bandgeek18
Summary: 5 times the rangers helped Brody cope and 1 time he helped them.
Relationships: Brody Romero & Calvin Maxwell, Brody Romero & Hayley Foster, Brody Romero & Levi Weston | Aiden Romero, Brody Romero & Preston Tien, Brody Romero & Sarah Thompson
Comments: 3
Kudos: 25





	Can't Escape This Now (Unless You Show Me How)

**Author's Note:**

> Heeeyyy! Guess who's back! It's been a while since I've last posted for this fandom. I've gotten my partner into watching the franchise and while we watched Ninja Steel I was inspired to go back to this, which I started when Ninja Steel was first airing. So, enjoy!

**Calvin**

It wasn’t that Brody was emaciated. Or even that he was starving. Sure, Calvin had noticed the guy was a little on the thin side, but he was a ninja. Maybe all the fat was just replaced by muscle. Brody was fit and strong. All that considered though, the yellow ranger had never seen someone with eating habits as strange as his friend’s. For one thing, Brody tended to inhale whatever was put in front of him in its entirety. 

“Slow down,” Clavin advised at lunch one day. 

“Huh?” Brody asked. 

“Slow down or you could choke, dude. It’s not going anywhere.” A strange look passed over Brody’s face. His eyes glanced down and for a moment his grip on his plastic spork seemed to get tight. Calvin leaned back a bit in his seat at the sudden change. 

After a moment, Brody relaxed and his shoulder slumped. “Right, sure.” 

Calvin glanced around the table, but he seemed to be the only one who noticed the strange behavior. Everyone was talking and joking like nothing was wrong. By the time he’d looked back at Brody the red ranger had gone back to eating, albeit still kind of fast. Not knowing what else to do, he went back to his own lunch. ‘Maybe this is just a one-off thing.’

It wasn’t. Anytime they ate together, Calvin noticed Brody finishing a lot sooner than anyone else. (Which was really saying something in a 30 minute lunch period.) He kept trying to get him to slow down, but his words always met with the same stiff shoulders and downward gaze. Then it got stranger. Calvin and Brody were sitting alone at their usual table, waiting for the others to join them.

“Fries look good, Loser,” Victor smiled, reaching out casually and taking a few french fries off Brody’s tray. “Thanks for-“ his words were cut off by a hand suddenly gripping his wrist. “What the hell?!"

Brody’s normally very easy going gaze was laser-focused into a glare. “Let go,” he growled low. “It's my food.”

“Alright, alright!” Victor released the fries and Brody released his wrist. “Come on, Monty. Freaks.” Calvin and Monty shared a shocked look as the latter followed Victor. 

“Dude, what was that?!” Clavin hissed. 

“What?” Brody asked. 

“I know Victor can be a jerk but that was…harsh.”

Brody frowned. “Why? He tried to take my food.”

“Well, yeah but it was just a few fries-“

“Hey, guys!” Preston smiled as he joined them. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Brody shrugged, now completely back to his carefree self. 

Calvin blinked at the sudden attitude change as Brody and Preston discussed something from one of their classes. He shook his head and went back to his own food. ‘Maybe he’s just having a bad day,’ Calvin thought as the others joined them. ‘That’s it. He’s having a bad day.’ Bad day or not, Clavin didn’t miss how Brody kept one of his hands wrapped protectively around his tray. A few days later he made another, just as confusion observation. 

It was the end of the lunch period, so everyone was getting ready to leave. Clavin stood up and noticed Brody grabbing his uneaten baby carrots from his tray. Before Calvin could formulate how odd it was Brody had left food on his tray, his friend had grabbed the carrots and slipped them into his pocket. Clavin blinked and looked around. No one else had noticed it. ‘Maybe he’s throwing them away separately?’ he thought. They put their trays away and left the cafeteria though. Brody never took the carrots out of his pocket. ‘Maybe he wants a snack for later. That’s probably it.’ That theory was gone the next time he saw it happen. It was two days later and he noticed Brody subtly opening his backpack. Calvin’s eyes flickered to Brody’s tray. Half his sandwich was still uneaten. Before Calvin could say anything though, with lightning-fast ninja reflexes, Brody dropped the sandwich into the front pouch of his backpack. The small compartment was closed and he settled his elbows on the table. Once again, Calvin was the only one to notice this. 

The following Monday it was the extra slice of pizza Preston gave him. 

Wednesday it was small pieces of celery and more baby carrots. 

Friday it was a hamburger. 

Tuesday it was a couple of cookies.

Friday it was half his french fries.

Monday it was half a mini bag of chips. 

Tuesday it was the carton of milk Sarah gave him. 

Thursday it was another half a sandwich.

Friday it was another slice of pizza. 

For two weeks, Clavin watched as small portions of Brody’s lunch disappear either into his pockets or his bag. No one else seemed to notice. Finally, after school one day, he decided to confront Brody about it. When he walked into their hideout though, it was just Mick and Red Bot. “Where’s Brody?” he asked. 

“In his truck I think,” Mick answered, not looking up from whatever he was working on. “Why?"

Calvin shrugged. “No reason just…something I need to ask him.”

“Try looking outside.”

“Thanks.” He made his way to the fenced-in parking lot behind the classroom. Sure enough, Brody was laid out in the backseat reading a book. Clavin tapped his knuckle against the glass. 

Brody jumped, but quickly smiled when he saw who it was. “Hey Calvin,” he greeted as he opened the door. Clavin puled himself inside and sat next to him. “I thought all you guys left for the day?”

“Not yet. I just…wanted to talk to you.” Clavin shut the door so they wouldn’t be overheard. 

“About what?”

Calvin wiped his hands on his jeans idly. “I saw you take-“ He stopped and sniffed the air. “What’s that smell?”

“Smell?”

“Yeah.” He sniffed again as he frowned. “Dude, it's awful. How do you now smell it?”

Brod sniffed the air. “Smells normal to me.” 

Calvin followed his nose into the front seat. He sat in the passenger seat and opened the glove compartment. “Aww, man!” He quickly covered his nose with his shirt. “Brody, why is there a bunch of food in the glove compartment?!”

“That’s my food,” Brody explain calmly as he joined his friend in the front. 

“Half this stuff is rotten!” Calvin reached out cautiously. He pulled out half a sandwich that he’d seen disappear into Brody’s bag a few days ago. “This sandwich is moldy.”

“So? If you eat around the mold its still edible.” 

Clavin quickly threw the moldy sandwich back into the glove compartment and shut it. He turned to Brody. “Why is there food in there?”

“So I can eat.”

“You eat breakfast and lunch at school every day. I know the others bring you meals on the weekend and for dinner.”

“It's always delicious too.”

“Brody.” Calvin waited for a response but didn’t get one. Despite Brody’s body was facing the steering wheel, his head was turned toward the window, preventing Calvin from seeing his face. “Brody, I’m your friend. Just tell me what’s going on.”

“You don’t understand.”

“Help me understand then.”

Brody sighed. “Sometimes I just…didn’t have food. If I did something Ripcon didn’t like then he wouldn’t feed me or if I wasn’t doing all my chores. Mick and I…we’d hide food in our room because sometimes they wouldn’t feed us for days. And you know, it might go back but when you didn’t have another choice...” He didn’t go on and Calvin nodded. 

“That’s why you’re hoarding food and why you snapped at Victor like that.” Calvin gazed sadly at the glove box. “Is that why you eat so fast?"

“Sometimes my food would get taken away while I was eating it. If I was taking too long or someone was just in a bad mood. Mick would try to stop it, but he wasn’t always around.”

“Brody…that’s awful. I’m so sorry.” Brody just shrugged in response. “Look…I get why you’re doing this, but you can’t eat bad food and you can’t keep all this perishable food in here. You’re going to have maggots or ants or something else really gross.” 

“I need food though.”

“Brody, we’d never let you starve.”

“I know but I- I still need it.”

Calvin sighed, then an idea suddenly popped into his head. “I have an idea. But the first thing we need to do is clean out this food.”

“But-“ Brody stopped when Calvin put a hand on his shoulder. 

“I’m your friend Brody. You trust me, right?” 

“Of course.”

“Then trust that I will make sure you have food. Ok?”

Brady hesitated for a moment, before sighing. “Ok.” 

“Good. Now let’s clean up this mess.” It seemed like the very thought of throwing away his food made Brody anxious, so Calvin did that while Brody wiped his glove compartment clean. 

“What now?” Brody asked, rubbing his hands nervously. 

“Now we go to the store.” Clavin tossed the keys to Brody. “You’re driving, let’s go.” 

When they got to the grocery store, Brody followed Calvin down an aisle filled with brightly colored packages. When they stopped, Calvin waved his arm at the shelves. 

“Protein bars?” 

“Exactly. Did you ever have one of these before…?” Brody shook his head. “They’re cool. Think of them like an entire meal, but in bar form.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, and the best part is, you can horde a ton of them and they won’t go bad for months.”

“So...I can keep them in my truck I won’t have to worry about them spoiling?”

“And you’ll always have food. Go ahead, pick whatever flavors you want.” Brody looked at them for a few minutes before selecting a blueberry and a chocolate chip one. Calvin made sure to grab two boxes of each so Brody would feel like he had enough. He also grabbed a box of chocolate bars. “For dessert,” he said to Brody’s confused look. “Everyone deserves a treat at the end of the day.” 

“You don’t have to do this-“

“Sure, I do. You’re my friend, Brody.” 

“I didn’t have…a lot of friends, you know, before, so is this…normal for teenaged friends?” 

“…Nothing about these circumstances are normal. But don’t worry about it. We’ve got your back.” 

“Ok. Thanks.” 

**Preston**

“Hey, Brody!” Preston greeted, throwing his arm around the red ranger as he ran up to him. He put his arm around his friend, but as soon as he did, Preston suddenly found himself pinned against the lockers. “Uh, Brody?”

“Oh my god!” Brody gasped. He released Preston and stepped back as his face flushed in guilt. “I’m so sorry, Presto. I didn’t realize it was you.” 

“It's ok, dude. I probably shouldn’t have snuck up on you like that.” Preston gave him a reassuring smile, but it didn’t seem to work. “Brody, I promise it’s fine. Let’s go to class.” 

“Yeah… Sure…” 

As they walked, Preston tried talking to Brody, but his friend was weirdly withdrawn and quiet. It worried him, but by the time class was over, Brody was back to his normal self. So, Preston shrugged it off. ‘He’s probably just having an off day.’ That thought made him feel better, plus a monster attack caused him to forget about the encounter. Until he was walking down the hall two days later and heard a shout of pain. ‘What was that?’ Preston ran around the corner, then stopped in his tracks. 

“Let go of me you freak!” Victor shouted. He was pinned on the ground with one arm twisted straight up behind him, held in place by Brody. 

“Brody!” Preston yelled, running to them. Just as he got there, Brody blinked like he was waking up, then paled when he saw Victor. He stumbled back and slumped against the wall as Preston reached him. “Are you-“ 

“What’s going in here?!” Principal Hastings demanded as she walked down the hall. She crossed her arms, glaring at each of the teens. “Well?!”

“Brody attacked Victor,” Monty explained as he helped Victor to his feet. “Completely unprovoked-“ 

“Completely!” Victor agreed. 

“Victor,” Principal Hastings said sternly. She looked at Brody. “Is this true?” 

Preston frowned, even more, when Brody didn’t say anything. Instead, he stared at the principal like she was one of Galvanax’s monsters. “Uh, I saw the whole thing, Principal Hastings,” the blue ranger said, stepping forward so he was sort of between them. “It was a misunderstanding. Brody just…freaked and overreacted.” 

“Is that true, Brody?” 

“Uh…uh-huh,” Brody nodded at the look Preston was giving him. 

“Well…since it looks like Victor isn’t seriously hurt, I’ll let you off with a warning. But you need to apologize.” 

“Sorry, Victor.” 

“All of you get to class.” 

Preston nodded. “We will,” he said. As Principal Hastings walked away— followed by Monty and Victor who glared at Brody as they walked down the hall— he turned his friend. “Come on, Brody.” He reached for the red ranger’s arm, but as soon as his fingers made contact, Brody flinched away. ‘He doesn’t look so good…’ Between his pale complexion and barely contained terror, Preston wasn’t sure Brody could make it through history. So, instead, he waved his hand in front of Brody’s face to get his attention. “Let’s go.” Instead of leading Brody to the classroom, he led him to the fenced-in yard behind their base. 

“This isn’t class,” Brody said. 

“I know. It seemed like you needed some air.” 

“Won’t someone notice we’re missing though?” 

“I texted Hayley to cover for us.” Preston leaned against Brody’s car as he watched his friend drop his bag then pace idly. It was silent for a minute. “What happened back there with Victor?” 

Brody shrugged. “He came up behind me and grabbed my bag.” 

“So, you threw him to the ground?” 

“I guess…” 

“What’s been going on with you?” 

“I- I don’t know.” Brody ran his hand through his hair. “I’ve never been like this before. When people come up behind me I just…freak!” 

“And this has never happened before?” 

“No! I mean, on Galvanax’s ship, kudabots, or Ripcon would come up behind me when they’d attack me, but I never reacted like this.” 

Preston stood up straight with a deeper frown. “The monsters on Galvanax’s ship would attack you?” 

“Yeah, but they did that to all of us…prisoners. And most of the time, I was too small to fight back.” 

“That’s terrible, Brody. I’m sorry.” 

“But I don’t know what it has to do with this.” 

“Uh-huh…” Preston glanced around and spotted the side mirror of a car laying on the ground a few feet away. He dropped his backpack with a smile and retrieved the side mirror. When he returned to his bag, Preston pulled his wand and spellbook out of his bag. Humming to himself, he sat on the ground and flipped through the book. Curious, Brody slowly walked over to sit next to him. “Ah, here we go,” Preston said when he found the spell he was looking for. He balanced his spellbook on his lap, then held the discarded side mirror in one hand and his wand in the other. “Speculum mutatio atque deprehendere.” The mirror glowed and morphed into a small, slightly denser version. A few seconds later, the glow died down, leaving a small mirror, about two inches in width and four inches in length. “There you go.” 

“What is it?” 

“Well, it’s a mirror, so you can see people coming up behind you, but it’s also enchanted. the glass will glow red if someone coming up behind you is trying to hurt you.” 

Brody frowned as he took the mirror. “How?” 

Preston shrugged with a small smile. “Magic.” 

“Thanks.” 

“I know it doesn’t fix the…problems you have, but hopefully it’ll make you feel better. Safer.” 

“Thanks, Presto.” 

“You’re welcome. You deserve to feel safe here.” 

**Hayley**

At first, Hayley thought maybe it was just a result of being a ninja. Maybe Brody just had amazing reflexes. Which he absolutely did, but the closer Hayley looked, the less she was able to convince herself it was reflexes. It was small things, like someone suddenly leaning into his personal space, making Brody flinch back. ‘No one likes their personal space being invaded,’ Hayley thought, not giving it a second thought. 

Then she saw two guys horsing around in the hall that ended with on slamming the other into the lockers just two lockers down from Brody’s. Hayley was barely right behind the red ranger when he flinched back. “Whoa!” she gasped, catching him. As soon as her gentle hands touched him though, Brody flinched away from her too, right into the lockers. “Are you ok?” 

For a few seconds, Brody just stared at her, then he took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah,” he replied. “Yeah, I’m fine.” A smile was quickly plastered on his face. “Let’s go to class.” He quickly shut his locker and led her to class. 

‘OK…’ 

In class the next day, Hayley smiled as she sat next to him. “Did you do the homework?” she asked. 

“I think so?” Brody replied as he bent down to pull his homework out of his bag. “I did my best-“ Someone walking by dropped their book on the floor, right by his head. The thump! seemed to echo and Brody jerked back. His head hit the underside of the table, sending sharp waves of pain through his head and upper neck. He groaned as he sat up slowly. 

“Are you ok?” Hayley put her hand on his arm, but he jerked away. “Brody-“ 

“I’m fine…” The tremor in Brody’s voice surprised even him. “It’s fine…” 

“Are you sure?” The bell rang, saving Brody from having to answer, so Hayley turned her attention to the front of the room. Through the class though, it didn’t escape her notice that Brody was tense. More than that, he held his pencil so tight she was afraid he’d snap it and his eyes bored a hole through his papers. ‘Why is he so wound?’ Hayley wondered as she glanced at him again. ‘Usually, Brody’s only like this when we’re in a battle. Why would he be like this at school?’ As the class came to an end, Hayley prepared to ask him about it, but as soon as the bell rang, Brody raced from the class. After a moment of hesitation, Hayley followed him. If she hadn’t been so worried, Hayley might’ve marveled at how easily Brody got through the crowded hall, slipping between people with grace on the balls of his feet. Most people didn’t even seem to notice him. It really reinforced for Hayley how much being a ninja was ingrained into Brody’s everyday life. Tailing him led her out a side door and Brody disappeared around a corner of the building. Hayley paused for a moment, then kept walking. She came around the corner slowly but didn’t immediately see him. Then she saw a pop of red that jumped out of the bushes. Walking stealthily, Hayley crept forward until she could see the red ranger curled up in a tight ball, mostly hidden by the tall bushes. “Brody?” Despite her voice being quiet and gentle, it made him jump. “Sorry…” 

“What’re you doing here?” Brody asked in confusion. 

“I could ask you the same thing.” Hayley shimmied through the bushes so she could sit, about a foot from Brody, against the school. The space between the bushes and building was small, but Brody didn’t seem to mind, so she didn’t bring it up. “You’re clearly not ok. What’s wrong?” 

Brody shrugged as he looked at the ground. “I- I don’t know.” 

“Well… It seems like you’ve been flinching a lot.” When it was several seconds without a response, Hayley kept going. “Whenever someone moves near you too fast or there’s a sudden loud noise, you flinch or jump.” 

“Yeah… I- I wasn't always like this. It only really started after I’d been a…prisoner for a few years. Ripcon… He always thought it was funny to see me jump so, he’d go out of his way to bang on something loud to scare me.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

Brody shrugged. “Sometimes, it happened so many times in a day that it felt like Ripcon and the others were doing it just for entertainment and I’d just get so…overwhelmed. There was a place, like an old, unused vent where I could hide. Mick would cover for me so I could get just…a few minutes alone to relax. Luckily they never found my hiding spot.” 

‘That’s why he came here.’ Hayley was quiet for a few minutes as she let Brody’s story sink in. The nature of their…imprisonment was clearly a sore spot for both Brody and Mick, so most of the team never asked about it. “I’m really sorry, Brody. You didn’t deserve to go through that.” Again, all he did was shrug. “I don’t want to…invade your space, but can I stay here with you? I can tell you’re upset and I just don’t want you to be alone.” 

“You can stay. …If you want to.” Brody curled back up into his ball, burying his face in his knees. 

They lapsed into silence as Hayley tilted her head back to look up at the sky. After a few minutes, Hayley spoke again. “Anytime you need to get away for a bit, tell me or text me. I’ll cover for you in your classes. Just…worry about taking care of yourself, ok? I’ll worry about the rest.” 

Her words almost made Brody smile. It wasn’t that far from what Mick had told him when he’d started disappearing on the ship. All he could do was nod in response though. It was silent after that as Brody tried to calm down, but having Hayley there soothed some of his nerves. 

**Sarah**

For the most part, Sarah loved school. Academics had always been an area where she excelled. Walking the halls, sitting in a classroom, or reading in the library always calmed her. However, she wasn’t naïve. Sarah knew not everyone liked school; which was fine, everyone had different interests and strengths. Hers just happened to be based in the classroom. Within a couple of weeks though, it became very obvious to her that Brody didn’t share her feelings. It wasn’t just that he struggled in his class (which wasn’t surprising after he spent 10 years in space), Brody just looked generally uncomfortable. The only time he seemed to really enjoy himself was when the rangers all ate lunch together. But every time Sarah saw him in the halls, Brody had a look on his face like he would rather be anywhere else. It seemed like one of their teammates being near Brody calmed him down some, but Sarah couldn’t help but think it was strange. And then it escalated. 

Sarah turned the corner on her way to history when she spotted Brody at the other end of the hall. She smiled and raised her hand to get his attention, but before he noticed, Victor and Monty came running. They turned the corner so fats they didn’t see Brody and knocked him to the ground. Knowing Brody could take hits much harder than that, Sarah rolled her eyes when the two boys barred on past her. ‘God only knows what hair-brained scheme those two-‘ Her thoughts stopped dead when she saw Brody. The red ranger was still on the ground, a look of pure panic on his face. He had a hand on his chest like he couldn’t breathe, and the way his gaze kept jumping around was weird. Before Sarah could react, Brody bolted from the hall. She only hesitated for a moment before following him. A few students gave her angry looks as she pushed through, but Sarah ignored them. Getting to Brody was more important. She turned a corner just in time to see him disappear into a supply closet. Sarah frowned more as she made her way over to it. 

Meanwhile, Brody was pretty sure he was going to die. A sharp pain echoed around his chest, preventing him from being able to breathe. By contrast, his heart was beating so fast it felt like it would break out of his chest. Tremors shook his limbs, forcing him to fall to the ground. It was all he could do to get into the closet before he collapsed. ‘What’s happening?!’ he thought as the dread consumed his brain. ‘What- I don’t understand…’ 

When Sarah reached the door of the closet, she knocked gently. “Brody?” she asked. “Are you ok?” All she heard in response was a half-strangled whine. Frowning, even more, she slipped into the closet. It was pitch black, so she turned on the light, revealing Brody, curled up in the corner. His back was pressed against the walls, hands clutching his hair and audibly hyperventilating. “Brody.” Sarah dropped to her knees in front of him and put her hands on his. As soon as she did though, Brody shoved her back. She fell onto her back, but got back on her knees, making sure to keep a few inches of distance between them. “Brody, it’s ok you’re safe.” All Brody did was shake his head, but Sarah pressed him. “It’s ok, you’re ok. You’re safe here. You need to breathe though. Deep breaths. I- I can count if that helps. 1…2…3…4…”

‘1… 2… 3…’ Brody thought, fighting against the dread in his mind, trying to follow Sarah’s voice. He tried to take a breath after every number, inhaling on one, then exhaling on the next. Int felt like the panic would never end. That he would just drop dead right there in the closet. It didn’t happen though. With Sarah counting to 10 multiple times, giving him something to focus on, he was able to calm himself. The panic subsided until it was more of an after note. It was still present, but at least this time it wasn’t all-consuming. He lifted his head and when he saw Sarah, heat shot to his cheeks. “Uh… Sorry…” 

“Don’t be,” Sarah replied quietly. “You don’t need to be sorry.” 

“I- I don’t know what happened…” 

“It seemed like you were having a panic attack.” 

Brody’s brow creased. “A…panic attack?” Just the name seemed to perfectly fit the feeling he’d had. 

“It’s…a psychological thing. Your brain was reacting to stress. Do you know what triggered it?” 

“No. I- I was just walking in the hall, then someone hit me from behind and knocked me to the ground. All of a sudden I… I felt like I was dying. I couldn’t breathe and my heart was racing…” 

“Has this ever happened before?” 

“A few times. It never happened when I was on Galvanax’s ship, but…a few weeks ago it happened when a teacher yelled at someone in one of my classes. I asked to go to the bathroom, then came here.” 

“And you just…had a panic attack alone?” 

Brody shrugged. “I didn’t know what was happening. Now they just…happen sometimes and I don’t know why!” He slammed his fists against his knees in frustration.

“I’m sorry, Brody. That must be terrible.” 

“Definitely not fun.” 

“…Do you feel ok enough to go to class?” When Brody shook his head, Sarah nodded. “Why don’t I take you to the base, then? You can stay there with Red Bot.” 

“Ok.”

Sarah backed against the door to give Brody some room. As he stood, she stuck her head out to make sure the hall was clear, then stepped out of the closet. Taking care to walk slowly, and keep a close eye on Brody, she walked with him to the base. Brody didn’t say anything, but his slumped shoulders told her everything she needed to know. ‘I wish there was someone he could talk to,’ Sarah thought as they walked. ‘It’s not like we can just take him to a therapist so he can tell them he was kidnapped by aliens until he escaped and became a power ranger!’ That absolutely sounded like a bad idea. When they reached the entrance to the hideout, Sarah reached out, but Brody sidestepped her reach. She didn’t mind though and dropped her hand. “Take it easy, ok, Brody?” 

“Uh-huh,” Brody replied noncommittally. 

‘I wish there was something I could do to help,’ Sarah thought as she left him. ‘There has to be something. I need to do some research.’ When she got to class, the teacher gave her an odd look but didn’t say anything. Thankfully, there was an empty seat in the back of the room, so she slid into it. Instead of paying attention though, she took out her laptop and started doing research. Website after website and article after article took her down a rabbit hole. Sarah wanted to know everything she could learn about panic attacks. She jotted down notes, starring information she wanted to share with the others. ‘I can’t be the only one who knows how to help Brody.’ But they couldn’t always be there, unfortunately. ‘Brody needs a way to calm himself when he’s alone.’ An idea popped into her head. Before it could slip away, Sarah pulled out another sheet of paper and started sketching. She refined her sketches and plans all through her classes until she had a good design. Then, when as soon as she got home, she went to work. 

The next morning, Brody was sitting at a table near the front hall. ‘How am I going to explain why I wasn’t in class yesterday?’ he wondered as he erased a problem on his homework. 

“Good morning, Brody,” Sarah said as she sat next to him. “Homework?” 

“Yeah.” 

“I have something for you.” 

“Really?" Brody turned all his attention to the pink ranger, eager for a distraction from his homework. “What is it?” 

“Here.” Sarah held out a blue ball. After a second of clear confusion, Brody cautiously took it from her. “I made it for you.” 

“A ball?” 

“It’s a special stress ball. You can squeeze it with one hand when you get stressed, but when you have a panic attack, you squeeze it tight with both hands.” She demonstrated by putting her hands on Brody’s and squeezing them around the ball. “It will pulse gently so you can focus on it and try timing your breaths with it.” 

“Huh…” Brody focused on the ball as it subtly pulsed in his hands. “Thanks, Sarah. But…why?” 

“Because you shouldn’t have to deal with panic attacks alone in a custodial closet.” Sarah held up some index cards covered in neat, handwritten notes. “I made these for the others, so they’ll know how to help you too.” 

“That’s…so nice.” Brody squeezed the ball so it would stop pulsing. “Thanks, Sarah.” 

“You’re welcome. Do you need help with your homework?” 

“…That’d be great, thanks.” 

**Levi**

Levi whistled happily as he walked into the base. A smile crossed his lips when he saw Brody propped against a wall, fast asleep. “Awww,” he cooed quietly. ‘I was going to get some work done in here, but maybe I should just let him sleep.’ Sill, completely unconscious, Brody murmured under his breath. One of his eyes twitched and his legs spasmed like he was kicking. It made Levi pause for a moment. Brody’s head moved restlessly from side-to-side as his legs kept kicking. 

“N- No…” he mumbled. “No… Let me out!” 

‘Uh oh,’ Levi thought. He hesitated for a moment, then cautiously approached his unconscious friend. “Uh…Brody?” 

“Let me out! L- Let me out!” 

Levi crouched next to the red ranger. “Brody,” he said gently. “Brody, wake up.” He gently shook Brody’s shoulder. “Wake up. It’s ok, you just need to-“ Brody’s eyes snapped open and next thing Levi knew, he was face down o the ground with his right arm twisted behind his back. 

After a few seconds, Brody realized what he’d done and released the gold ranger. “Sorry!” he apologized quickly. “I’m sorry.” 

“That’s ok.” Levi smiled as he picked up his hat. “I startled you.” He noticed the pinched lines under Brody’s eyes. “Haven’t been sleeping well?” 

“You could say that…” 

“What’s going on?” Levi sat in front of Brody, placing his hat on the floor next to him. 

“…I’ve been having bad dreams.” 

“Oh, nightmares, huh? Do you want to talk about them?” 

Brody pulled his knees to his chest and stared at the floor silently for a few seconds. He took a short breath, barely able to breathe around the tightness in his chest. “It… It was about when I was first kidnapped by Galvanax. Ripcon let me out of the cell I was in and said that because they’d decided to keep me that I was going to- to work. So, he- he brought me to the air vent and…and said I had to- to get rid of the rats.” Brody rubbed his hands on his legs, trying to focus on the feeling of his palms on his jeans. “Ripcon locked me in the air vents and just….left me there… I tried to find a way out but it was…dark and cramped… I couldn’t sleep because if I stay still for too long the rats would start biting me…” Brody rubbed his legs more intently. “In- In my dream I was back in the air vents with the rats… I was hungry and cold and rats were eating me…” 

Cold fury filled every inch of Levi’s being. His hands shook with barely contained rage as they balled into fists. Very aware of how stressed and upset Brody was though, Levi forced himself to take a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Brody,” he said, voice strained. “I- You should’ve never had to go through that. It’s…” Barbaric. Cruel. Inhuman. “I’m sorry.” He took another deep breath. “How often do you have these…nightmares?” 

“A lot. Sometimes every night, sometimes only a few nights a week. I had them when I was on the ship too, but they’ve gotten worse since I escaped.” 

“Is it always the same one?” 

“No, sometimes they’re different. Some nights I dream that my brother was kidnapped instead of me and everything that I went through, he was going to experience instead. Sometimes I see Ripcon killing Mick or you guys. Some nights I’m back on the ship and all of this…” he gestured vaguely with his hand. “is just a dream.” 

“It’s not a dream, Brody. You’re…well you’re safer than you were. And we won’t ever let Galvanax get his hands on you or Mick again. Or Ripcon.” The monster's name tasted bitter on Levi’s tongue. Something inside of him was dying to tear Ripcon apart, but for now, he needed to fiches on his friend. “Is there anything I can do to help?” 

Brody shrugged. “I don’t know, probably not.” 

“Hmm… Well, if you want to nap, you can come back to my place, if you want. I have a guest room so it’ll be comfier.” 

“I don’t know if I can sleep again…” 

“You should try. I know that nightmares are tough, but if there’s a fight…we need you at full capacity.” 

“…Ok.” 

Levi helped Brody to his feet with a smile. “Plus, I’ll be right in the other room if you need me.” As they walked, an idea began to form in the gold ranger's mind and his smile became a bit more genuine. 

— — 

Once he had Brody settled in the guest room, Levi grabbed his guitar and got to work. At first, he worked silently, only plucking the strings to help him get a handle on the melodies he wanted. Luckily, they were all simple and didn’t require a lot of work to write, Then, Levi moved to the small, soundproof room he typically used for working on his music. 

When Brody woke later, he was confused for a second. The ceiling above him wasn’t familiar and for a second his heart stopped. Brody shot up in bed, hands up and ready to fight. Then he saw his backpack sitting on an empty dresser across the room. “Ohh… Right. I’m at Levi’s apartment.” He rubbed his eyes and sighed. ‘I’m still tired, but at least I don’t feel like I’m going to fall over anyone, either,’ he thought, rubbing his face. ‘Which is better than nothing.’ Brody got off the bed, having been so tired that he hadn’t even bothered to sleep under the blankets. He left the bedroom, then wandered down the hall into the living room. Levi’s back was turned to him when he walked in, so he cleared his throat. “Uh…Levi?” he asked. 

“Oh!” Levi jumped a little. “Hey, Brody. Sleep well?” 

“Yeah, I did. No nightmares.” He joined Levi on the couch, then frowned at the cassette player in his hands. “What’re you doing with that? Sarah said no one used tape recorders anymore.” 

“Yeah, well… I found it in the back of my closet. Don’t even remember where I got it. Anyway, here.” Levi handed the cassette player to Brody. 

“You’re…giving it to me?” 

“Along with this.” Levi handed the red ranger a cassette tape as well. 

Brody set the cassette player in his lap so he could examine the cassette. On the front of the tape, ‘Brody’s Songs’ was written in neat, block letters. “My songs?” 

“I write you some…calming songs to listen to. The A-side is all upbeat songs to cheer you up when you have a bad day and the B side are lullabies. To help you sleep. Or, at the very least, I hope you won’t feel as alone and scared.” 

“…Thanks, Levi.” A smile crossed Brody’s lips as he took in the items. “You know, my brother used to have a cassette player just like this. Our dad had a box of blank tapes, and we’d record messages on them, then leave the tape player around the house to try scaring him.” 

“Did it ever work?” 

“No.” Brody quickly wiped at his eyes before any tears could get out. “Thanks, Levi.” 

“You’re welcome.” Levi placed his hand gently on Brody’s shoulder. “Look, Brody…I know you went through…a lot, but just remember that you’re not alone. You have us. We want to help you.” 

“I know.” Brody’s friends would always be there by his side. 

**Brody**

As soon as they made it back to base, everyone except Brody practically collapsed to the ground. Calvin slouched against the wall with his head on Hayley’s shoulder. Levi sat against the wall as well, his hat dangling limply from one hand as his arm draped dramatically across his knee. Sarah and Preston were laying on the floor, staring at the ceiling dejectedly. Brody looked around at his friends with concern. ‘I know we’ve had a lot of hard battles lately…’ he thought. After a moment of thought, he smiled. “Hey, Mick!” he called excitedly. “Anywhere in the universe where are we going?” 

“The planet Gladorn!” Mick called back, just as happily. “Most of the surface is glass. You can skate across like ice. And when the sun sets, the light reflects off it, casting the sky a rainbow of colors!” 

“Sounds awesome. Presto!” Brody pointed at the blue ranger. “Anywhere in the universe, where are we going?” 

Preston frowned as he looked at Brody. “What do you mean?” he asked. 

“I mean, we can go anywhere in the entire universe. Where are we going?” 

“Like…a real place?” 

Brody shrugged. “If you want.” 

“Ok…uh… The planet…Muh…Magicon. Everyone there can do magic.” When Brody gestured for him to continue, Preston sat up. “And…uh….there’s all these white rabbits running around. And everyone carries wands and spellbooks.” 

“Cool, cool. Hayley, anywhere in the universe, where are we going?” 

“Really, Brody?” she asked, clearly not in the mood. However, Brody just gave her a pleading look, so she sighed. “Ok, ok, fine. Uh… We’re going to the planet…. Chocola. The whole planet is made of chocolate. There’s melted rivers and waterfalls. And the clouds are made of white chocolate candy. Oh, and chocolate bunnies hop through the fields.” 

“I love it. Calvin?” Brody pointed at the yellow ranger. “Anywhere in the universe, where are we going?” 

“Motor world!” Clavin replied enthusiastically. “The planet is covered in garages. And there are race tracks for cars and motorcycles! Every vehicle you can think of!” 

“It’ll be a bast.” Brody turned to the pink ranger. “Sarah, anywhere in the universe, where are we going?” 

Sarah smiled at him. “The planet Techno. It’s the most technologically advanced planet in the whole universe. There are gadgets we can’t even dream of! Everyone rides hoverboards and there’s a giant race track for the Hoverboard Racing Intergalactic Championships!” 

“Awesome! Anywhere in the universe, Levi. Where are we going?” 

“A music world of course,” Levi replied, now smiling broadly. “The wind harmonizes with the leaves as to blows. Instruments grow on trees. All you have to do is reach up and pluck one down.” 

“Fantastic!” Brody laughed as he sat on the ground. He leaned back on his hands while his teammates gave him curious looks. 

“What about you?” 

“Yeah,” Sarah agreed. “Anywhere in the universe. Where are we going, Brody?” 

Brody grinned. “A planet where it’s just us. No monsters, no school, and no trouble. Just us, Mick, and Red Bot. We have all the time and space we need to practice being ninjas.” 

“Nice,” Sarah nodded with a smile. 

Thye lapsed into silence for a few seconds, which only confused Preston. “So…is that it?” he asked. 

“Is what it?” Brody asked. 

“I mean…what as the point of that?” 

“Anywhere in the universe? It’s a game Mick invented.” Brody nodded back at Mick, who smiled proudly at what he was working on. “We’d play it on the ship when things got…hard. For the times when the days felt too long and we had nothing to look forward to. Like our lives were just…too hard.” He gave the other rangers a meaningful look. “I know there will be hard days. There will be times when it feels like, you’ll never come out on the other side. You’ll feel so run down that nothing can make it better. But, those are the days you need Anywhere in the Universe. Because it’ll make you smile and it’ll remind you that anything is possible. The days will end and you’ll make it through.” 

It was silent for a minute as the others processed this. Then, they each smiled at Brody. 

“You’re one hell of a leader, you know that?” Sarah asked him. 

“Yeah,” Preston agreed. “You really are.” 

“I’m sure your dad would be proud,” Hayley told him. 

“And Aidan too,” Calvin added. 

“Cause we sure are,” Levi smiled. 

“Thanks, guys.” As he watched them smile and relax, all signs of their weariness and downtrodden spirits long-forgotten, a warm feeling filled his chest. ‘But really,’ he thought. ‘There’s nowhere in the universe I’d rather be than right here with all of you.’ 


End file.
